Decade Of Discovery

A new plant species, Aeschynanthus Mendumiae, discovered on the southeastern slopes of Laos' Phuo Yang Mountain, is one of 1,068 new species identified in the Greater Mekong from 1997 to 2007 in the WWF report, "First Contact in the Greater Mekong."

Credit: WWF/Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

The Dragon millipede Desmoxytes purpurosea, from Lansak district Uthaithani Province, Thailand. This formidable-looking creature sees off predators first with its spiny bright-pink skin and second with glands that produce cyanide.

Credit: WWF/Somsak Panha

The WWF report stresses economic development and environmental protection must go hand-in-hand to provide for livelihoods and alleviate poverty, and ensure the survival of the Greater Mekong's astonishing array of species and natural habitats. For example, this Gumprechts green pitviper, Trimeresurus gumprechti, is found across the Greater Mekong region, except Cambodia.

Credit: WWF/Rene Ries

The WWF says globally, new mammal discoveries are extremely rare, but the Greater Mekong is proving to be a hotspot for new mammal finds. The annamite striped rabbit, Nesolagus timminsi, discovered in Vietnam and Laos in 2000, are only the second species of striped rabbit to be identified.

Credit: WWF/Trinh Viet Cuong, FFI

In Cambodia, a new species of rhacophorid frog, Chiromantis samkosensis, was identified in 2007. It is distinguished from other species of Asian Chiromantis by having green blood and turquoise bones.

Storenomorpha anne, from Lao PDR, was discovered in 2007. It is one of at least 88 new species of spiders found while on expeditions into Lao PDR, Thailand and Yunnan Province, China.

Credit: WWF/Peter Jager

The WWF's "First Contact in the Greater Mekong" reports that 1,068 species were discovered or newly identified by science between 1997 and 2007 -- which averages two new species a week. The Theloderma licin was discovered in Thailand in 2007.

Kerivoula titania, a woolly bat from Cambodia, is among the more than 1,000 new species - including mammals, fish and snakes - discovered by scientists who, for a decade, searched a 232,000 square-mile patch of largely unexplored rainforest in southeast Asia.

Credit: WWF/Gabor Csorba

In 2007, the gecko Cyrtodactylus phongnhakebangensis was discovered in Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province, Vietnam.

Credit: WWF/Thomas Ziegler

The Laotian rock rat, Laonastes aenigmamus or Kha-nyou, thought to be extinct 11 million years ago, was recently rediscovered by scientists. The squirrel-like Kha-nyou has very distinct molars and jaw structure.